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Mobile, Ala., Stations Await Squalid Ship's Arrival

The stations in Mobile, Ala., are switching between live coverage and hourly cut-ins to cover the arrival of the disabled Carnival cruise ship. The ship, named the Triumph, is being towed and moving slowly; it is due to arrive some time around 9 to 11 p.m.. A broken towline will delay the ship’s arrival in Mobile Bay, reports LIN’s WALA and the others.

Sinclair’s WEAR Mobile was live from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today, according to Terry Cole, GM at WEAR, then went with cut-ins at the top of each hour. Highlights included watching a Coast Guard chopper drop supplies on the luckless tourists.

Cole said the ship finally was within cellphone range today, which enabled reporters to get some first-hand testimony from aboard the boat. After initially blazing temps earlier in the week forced the castaways outside their rooms–many slept on the cooler decks–temperatures are a much more manageable 50-60, he says.

Passengers will also get a refund, $500 and credit for another cruise, if they should choose to take one.

WALA’s reporters went to Dauphin Island, a barrier island, to get the earliest shots of the ship drifting into view. “It was almost like a mirage,” says Bob Cashen, news director at WALA. Cashen says the station has two live shots available at any time, and has been cutting in all day in advance of its 4 p.m. news.